Injectable Gelled Multiple Emulsion for Glucose-Responsive Insulin Delivery

• Published in: Advanced healthcare materials Vol. 13; no. 26; p. e2304195
• Main Authors: Boakye-Yiadom, Kofi Oti, Chen, Qijing, Teng, Yilong, Zhang, Chenshuang, Hu, Bin, Zhang, Xue-Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - metabolism; Drug Delivery Systems - methods; Emulsions - chemistry; Gels - chemistry; Glucose - chemistry; Glucose - metabolism; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - chemistry; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Insulin - administration & dosage; Insulin - chemistry; Insulin - pharmacology; Male; Mice; injectable gelled multiple emulsions; glucose‐responsive; insulin delivery; PVPBA homopolymer; diabetes
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202304195

A glucose-responsive insulin delivery system that sustains blood glucose equilibrium for an extended duration can address the low therapeutic window of insulin in diabetes treatment. Herein, insulin is loaded in a water-in-oil-in-water (W /O/W ) gelled multiple emulsion using poly (4-vinylphenylboronic acid) (PVPBA) homopolymer as an effective emulsifier. The gelled multiple emulsion exhibits a high encapsulation efficiency (99%), enhanced stability and remarkable shear-thinning behavior, making it easy to inject. Under hyperglycemic conditions, the gelled emulsion system instantly binds to glucose molecules and reduces the hydrogen bonds of the PVPBA homopolymer, resulting in insulin release. In a streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mouse model, a single subcutaneous injection of the gelled emulsion rapidly responds to high blood glucose concentration (BGC) and release insulin in a glucose dependent manner, thus prolonging the antihyperglycemic effect compared with free insulin.